I am in the process of proposing and co-designing a new course in NY State. My co-designer on this project asked me this question and I can't answer it:

"Why not use Hot Mix asphalt for the tees. You would not require any excavation and there is no need to build frames and it is cheaper. You could put some gravel down and then manually place the asphalt and tamp with a plate compactor. Is there any objection to this in the DG world?"

I told him you would need to excavate minimally so that after laying down gravel and a layer of asphalt you'd want the pad to be flush with the ground surface.

Other than that, is there a reason why asphalt would not be a good idea for tee pads?

I don't think i've seen asphalt pads anywhere.

dan doyle
warwick, NY

Check Acorn Park in Roseville, MN. They have been asphalt since 1980 and only redone once in the mid-90s. They work well and feel more "cushiony" on your feet. If they are in areas that remain shady for much of the day, they can sometimes be more slippery than cement on humid days since you usually don't brush a textured surface on asphalt.

Calvert Road Park in College Park, MD used to have asphalt teepads and probably still does. I thought they worked great.

The only problem with asphalt is heat. In the middle of summer you can easily leave foot prints in asphalt on a hot afternoon.

Codorus State Park in Hanover, PA has asphalt tees on a number of tees. The only problem I notice is they can be slick when wet. I haven't noticed footprints in the heat, but they are on the more shaded side of the course.

Calvert Road Park in College Park, MD used to have asphalt teepads and probably still does. I thought they worked great.



Interesting how something that works for one doesn't for another. I always thought the asphalt at Calvert was really bad. Slippery when damp, uneven, ugly. I believe they have since upgraded to nice concrete pads.

Arnette Park in Fayetteville, NC put in asphalt pads maybe 2-3 years ago, they look and have held up great. It is a shady course so direct sunlight doesn't affect them much either. I think the cost is about half that of concrete.

Sure you can save a little bit of money and put in asphalt pads, but it is really going to be worth it? Why not go ahead and spend a little extra on concrete so you have better quality, more durable teepads? It seems like a no-brainer to me.

Sure you can save a little bit of money and put in asphalt pads, but it is really going to be worth it? Why not go ahead and spend a little extra on concrete so you have better quality, more durable teepads? It seems like a no-brainer to me.



Large concrete pads can cost as much as $70-$100 each plus alot of work and time. The guys at Arnette spent about $40 each and one of them works with asphalt they had all the equipment to do them over a short period of time. For them it was a nobrainer on the asphalt.

Sure you can save a little bit of money and put in asphalt pads, but it is really going to be worth it? Why not go ahead and spend a little extra on concrete so you have better quality, more durable teepads? It seems like a no-brainer to me.



In some cases, we've gotten the asphalt pads free because they were done with asphalt leftover from a city street or parking lot project. We look for those opportunities to keep down the budget.

Asphalt tees are generally slippery when wet, and will grow moss and other lichens if near any trees. From a safety standpoint (when given the choice) asphalt should be discouraged in favor of concrete (IMO).

I would concur on the slippery when wet. We have asphalt tees on our Big D course at Willow Brook Golf Course.

There are asphalt tee pads at Dunham Park in Liberty Corner, NJ. The maintenance crew stains them with a sand mixture. Works great in all conditions.

bevis mmmmuuuhhh mmmuuuhhh he said asp.... :D

4 courses in Cincinnati with asphalt. Slippery when wet is an understatement.

not only slippery when wet, but slippery when even a little sand gets on them. a few courses around here have them.

...The maintenance crew stains them with a sand mixture. Works great in all conditions.


Walkersville (Heritage Farm Park) would not allow concrete tee pads, so they put in asphalt. They are much better than natural tees, but they are slippery when wet.

Do you have any more details on the stain and sand mixture?
What is the mixture?, How often do the re-apply it?, etc.

They apply it at least once a year. I don't know the exact ratio but I'll find out and get back at ya. Pretty heavy amount of sand is used.

Strange that they would opt for something inferior that requires annual maintenance over something better that does not. Unless there is some environmental benefit (and I can assure you that with asphalt, there is none), it makes no sense.

Strange that they would opt for something inferior that requires annual maintenance over something better that does not.



I believe Walkersville was concerned with the relative �permanency� of concrete. To withstand the cold with out cracking the tee pads need to be poured pretty thick, and if you pour them in one piece then they are hard to deal with if they need to be moved. Two tees have already been moved since the course went in last year.

Of course, they also added an asphalt walking path that effectively traverses the entire park, so they are pretty comfortable with asphalt.

If you're involved with unions, then sometimes there's a bias in making decisions that require more annual work versus upfront capital cost. Not saying that's the reason in this case but it comes up as a factor on occasion. We have Park Departments where we can't do certain types of volunteer labor because it takes away hours, potentially at OT rates, from the park staff. And as I mentioned above, sometimes the asphalt can be virtually free if it's part of a bigger job already funded.

That certainly makes sense, especially in a place where unions are strong. Here, there are no unionized government employees, so we don't have that to deal with. Parks departments here thrive on volunteer efforts to keep costs down. As a result, we get quality facilities.